Thinking Ahead for Prayer

Abû Al-Dardâ’ – Allah be pleased with him – said:

It is from a person’s knowledge and understanding that he sees to his needs first in order to turn to his prayer with a heart free of distractions.

Ibn Al-Mubârak in Al-Zuhd wa Al-Raqâ’iq Vol.2 p726

More:

  1. More time for the Hereafter
  2. Knowledge transforms the student
  3. Talk is Easy
  4. Honor in the Houses of Allah
  5. Beneficial Brotherhood and Love
  6. Children of the Hereafter
  7. Three Laughs and Three Tears

September 4, 2007

Topics: dunyâ, prayer, worship

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5 Responses to “Thinking Ahead for Prayer”

  1. umm abd rahman on October 5, 2009 20:11

    Assalam aleykoum,
    I would appreciate if you could answer a question which arose after reading above hadith. Would eating a light snack before the maghrib prayer be considered acceptable for fasting person who cannot wait to eat his food? Or is it considered disliked to delay the prayer for the sake of eating?
    Barakallahu fikum

  2. Owais Al-Hashimi on October 15, 2009 09:45

    Wa alaykumus-salam,
    The Sunnah teaches us to break the fast as soon as possible, when maghrib comes in. We are also taught in the Sunnah to not pray when food is served or when needing to relieve ourselves (Sahih Muslim, Musnad Ahmad and others). Scholars say this is because if a person starts praying while needing food, he may not pay attention to his prayer, not remember Allah properly, or he may hurry the prayer and compromise it. So insha Allah there is no harm in eating a bit before the prayer, but trying to keep it to what is needed so as not to delay maghrib too much.
    Allah knows best.

  3. Ummzubair on October 3, 2010 01:36

    Also I read something from Shaikh albani in which he menioned the Hadith where the prophet alayhi salatu wa Salam said "my ummah will continue to remain upon good as long as the hasten to break the fast" I don't have the reference to that but this is what the shaikh mentioned also the prophet has told us to hasten to pray the magrib. So we must also follow the sunnah in which the prophet would break his fast with dates and water and that should be suffient to us, and then pray the magrib ,And Allah knows best

  4. Ummzubair on October 3, 2010 01:40

    And the shaikh rahimahullah said that there is no contradition between the two hadiths.

  5. Abu Seif on October 8, 2010 04:30

    Yes alhamdulillah, there is no contradiction. The Prophet sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam would hasten to break his fast with three dates and soon after go to the masjid. I think the confusion sets in when we assume that by hastening to break the fast what is meant is eating your meal (a full one, that is). And Allah knows best.